The present invention relates to a mechanism for securing a mud flap to a vehicle; and more particularly, to a mechanism that facilitates the installation of a mud flap to a vehicle that requires only one person to install the mud flap, using only one tool, and not requiring any specialized types or forms of mud flaps.
Mud flaps are commonly hung behind tires of motor vehicles to prevent, in part, the throwing of mud, water, stones, gravel or other objects back into the windshields of vehicles following behind. State laws require that mud flaps be used on trucks, tractors and trailers; and the state laws often define certain guidelines for the size and positioning of the mud flaps with respect to the vehicle and with respect to the road.
Often times, when such heavy vehicles are being driven in reverse, the mud flaps will be caught between the rotating rear wheels of the heavy vehicle and an object such as a mound of dirt or a curb, causing the mud flap to be torn or pulled out from the mud flap retainer system mounted to the underside of the heavy vehicle. Accordingly, when this happens, a mud flap will have to be re-installed soon thereafter so as to avoid violating any of the State guidelines. Many conventional mud flap retainer assemblies require specialized mud flaps. For example, mud flap assemblies shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,624 to Aber et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,568 to Hollon and U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,094 to Haddox require the mud flaps to include holes or apertures for receiving corresponding studs or projections extending from the mud flap retainers. Therefore, when such specialized mud flaps are torn or ripped from their respective retainer assemblies, the holes in the mud flaps will often be ripped out or damaged, thereby ruining the ability for that mud flap to be reattached to the retainer assembly. Therefore, to re-hang the damaged mud flap the driver or technician will have to cut away the portions of the mud flaps with the damaged holes and then punch new holes into the mud flap. Otherwise, a new mud flap will need to be installed.
Other conventional mud flap assemblies, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,727 to Rock and U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,667 to Manning require the mud flaps to have upper ends terminating in specialized bosses or lugs so as to be retained within correspondingly shaped channels or grooves in the retainer assembly. Accordingly, if such mud flaps were torn from the retainer assemblies, often times the bosses or lugs on the upper end of the mud flap will be damaged, thereby ruining the use of that mud flap within the specialized retainer assembly. Because of the specialized design of such mud flaps, the driver will seldom be able to repair the damaged portions, thereby requiring the use of a new mud flap.
Still other known mud flap retainer assemblies fail to facilitate the quick and simple re-installation of a new or damaged mud flap to the mud flap retainer assembly by a single individual. Accordingly, there is a need for a mud flap retainer assembly which allows a single person to install a mud flap to the retainer assembly, using a minimal amount of tools and requiring a minimal amount of time. There is also a need for a mud flap retainer assembly which allows the use of non-specialized mud flaps, and also allows ripped or damaged mud flaps to be easily re-installed.